Grammy Awards Ratings Slip

The theory going into the writers’ strike was that more people would flock to fresh fare because because they’d be desperate to watch something other than reruns. But there have been many instances where that hasn’t been the case. The latest example is the Grammy Awards on CBS last night.

The Grammys were celebrating their 50th anniversary andÂ the show was, by far, the marquee event of the night. ButÂ the overall audience was 18.2 million — down from last year’s 20 million, according to Nielsen. Among the coveted 18-49 demo, the numbers were down 17 percent.

MaybeÂ viewers have just gotten out of the habit of watching TV during the strike. Maybe people weren’t interested in a show dominated by Amy Winehouse (still largely unknown among the masses) and Kayne West (whose awards-show presence is getting tiresome). Maybe the overall sales slump being experienced by the recording industry is reflected in the stats.

Whatever the case, the ratings had to be a bit of a disappointment for CBS, which has taken a big hit since the strike started. Still, even lower Grammy ratings were enough to boost CBS to the top spot for the night. For more details on Grammy night, including behind-the-scenes tidbits, check out Jim Harrington’s Concert Blog.